Torchwood: Minor Meta (Smut Free!)

[fangrrl_squees]

I've got a whole slew of other meta sloshing around in my brain, but here's the bit I can type up before I rush off to work.

Come series 2, I think Captain Harkness is going to discover that his Regenerative Powerz of Dooooom are greatly reduced. Why? 'Cos an unkillable protaganist is only interesting for so long. One that doesn't know that he's suddenly become vulnerable? Way more nifty.

He'll probably still be tougher than the average bear, I'm sure, but I wouldn't go changing the fuse whilst standing in a puddle were I Captain Jack. Not just yet, at least.

Coming up when I have time: my noodlings on why Gwen is doomed (in the moral/ethical sense) and some further questions re: Jack's perception of the world at large.

Comments

[seamstrix.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how they will handle the Jack Is Immortal thing. For one, it gives Jack the motivation for all that lovely existential angst. If he's mortal again, then he has no reason to be moping around about how immortal he is.

Also, since he won't realize he's not immortal until some mortal injury happens to him, he's gonna have an awfully flat learning curve. One of the theories I've seen bandied about regarding his immortality, and the fact that he's sported several bruises along the way, is that the immortality/massive healing thing doesn't kick in UNLESS it's a mortal wound. The regular non-lethal variety just heal normally.

[ladykoori.livejournal.com]

Yeah, him finding out he's no longer immortal if he is would definitely be hard to do, without you know killing him off which I just don't see them doing.

[fangrrl-squees.livejournal.com]

Notice I said "greatly reduced" not "removed completely"

Good eye on the bruises thing, though. Hmm...

[hegemony.livejournal.com]

'Cos an unkillable protaganist is only interesting for so long. One that doesn't know that he's suddenly become vulnerable? Way more nifty.

I actually really like that idea, and totally agree. The only real question would be, of course, When to reveal this to both Jack and the rest. On one hand, if they squashed together Jack's comeback, Team angst about abandonment, antagonist of the week, more team emo shots, Gun!Pr0n, and the reveal that 'gasp, he can't take a bullet in the heat of self-sacrifice the way he used to!' and then perhaps more weeping and emo and guns and surgery and that would pretty much be awesome in every sense of the word, and totally grab everybody by the balls.

On the other hand, perhaps it's better as an arc, like, long and extended over time. They could milk the angst and there'd be a lot of 'should I tell them?' and the reveal could be held off until the middle or the finale as the climax of series two.

And furthermore, what if the whole regeneration powers thing weren't just OMG gone, but every time he gave off a bit more of himself, or got clipped by teh wevillz or anything else, he'd stay dead/wounded for a little longer, and there'd be an increased alarm in every episode.

So I think you're onto something good, even in terms of the existential arguments that Torchwood tries to put in motion via its characters, but I wonder how they'd present that.

[azarsuerte.livejournal.com]

I sortof half agree with this: I don't think his immortality is going to magically disappear, but I do strongly suspect that the Doctor is going to "fix" him during his DW S3 stint, and before the Doctor drops Jack off back at Torchwood, he'll remind him not to go risking his life so much now because he doesn't have a get-out-of-death-free card anymore.

[fangrrl-squees.livejournal.com]

*nod* indeed, I think that's a very logical and plausible way to tackle the question.

Ah well, no more gooey fics about The Kiss of Life... ;)